You don’t see that every day! Wayne Gerdes took his Porsche Taycan across the country and set some new records with the electric vehicle. The Porsche used in this adventure was the 2021 Taycan with the Performance Battery and Premium Package, which included Adaptive Cruise Control. So how did Gerdes and Porsche complete this drive with such astonishing numbers to get the Guinness World Record?

The 2021 Porsche Taycan set out to break some records and it did just that

According to Gerdes’ report on Clean MPG, this trip was quite impressive. Gerdes was working on the Electrify America Charging Network project that involved Porsche. The idea was hatched after the automaker decided it wanted to make it into the Guinness World Record (GWR) book for the “Shortest Charging Time.”

He drove the 2021 Porsche Taycan more than 20,000 miles using more than 80 Electrify America charging stations. The Taycan charged at over 200 individual 350 kW fast-charging points in 22 states. Gerdes wanted to confirm the 5% to 80% State of Charge (SoC) in 22 minutes claims from Porsche when starting this adventure.

After driving the Porsche Taycan down to just 6% SoC and connecting to a 350 kW Electrify America charger in California, he was able to confirm those claims. “I was left speechless. Any Taycan owner who has experienced charging from a low SOC on a solid EA DC Fast Charger (DCFC) will surely corroborate the same jaw-dropping experience that I had,” Gerdes said.

The Porsche Taycan charging cost $76.82 along the way

The EPA-estimated numbers for the 2021 Porsche Taycan were 225-miles of range and a combined efficiency of 2.22 mi/kWh. The Taycan reached more like 3.1 mi/kWh over 117.3 miles when doing this drive. This had an average speed of 78 mph, according to Green Car Reports.

The total trip covered 2,834.5 miles and only needed to charge for two hours, 26 minutes, and 48 seconds. Guinness World Records experts certified these numbers. The trip took 21 hours and five minutes total, going 1,430 miles from Hesperia, California, to Vanita, Oklahoma. The Porsche Taycan averaged 68 mph on the adventure, which included charging stops.

The real kicker here is the cost. Gerdes says the entire trip only cost him $76.82 through Electrify America charging. A 1,430-mile trip would have cost a whole lot more in gasoline, primarily through California.

The people at Guinness World Record confirmed each step along the way

While some of these numbers seem crazy and impossible, Porsche and the people at Guinness World Records verified everything along the way. Guinness noted every stop made and an independent witness was there to verify each stop and charge. “Every mile covered was filmed, GPS tracked, and accounted for before being certified by a panel of adjudicators before Guinness accepted the record.”

While this is the first journey of its kind, it certainly won’t be the last. In conclusion, this 2021 Porsche Taycan blew everyone, including the EPA-estimated numbers, out of the water. Someone else is likely going to break these records soon enough, especially as Electrify America continues to improve the charging process. Great work, Wayne Gerdes and Porsche! Tesla, it’s your turn.